Hotter than Hell (album)

Last updated

Hotter than Hell
Cover hth large.jpg
Studio album by
Kiss
ReleasedOctober 22, 1974 (1974-10-22)
RecordedAugust 1974
Studio The Village, Los Angeles
Genre
Length33:02
Label Casablanca
Producer Kenny Kerner, Richie Wise
Kiss chronology
Kiss
(1974)		Hotter than Hell
(1974)		 Dressed to Kill
(1975)
Singles from Hotter than Hell
  1. "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll"
    Released: October 22, 1974

Hotter than Hell is the second studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on October 22, 1974, by Casablanca Records. It was certified gold on June 23, 1977, having shipped 500,000 copies. [3] The album was re-released in 1997 in a remastered version. It peaked on the Billboard 200 charts at No. 100, [4] without the benefit of a hit single. Many of the album's songs were live staples for the band, including "Parasite", "Hotter than Hell", "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll", and "Watchin' You".

Contents

Composition and recording

The production team of Kenny Kerner and Richie Wise, who had produced the group's first album, was again chosen for the follow-up. The pair had just relocated to Los Angeles, and Kiss made the trek to the west coast to commence recording, the first the band had done outside their native state of New York. The band members, all hailing from New York City, immediately developed a dislike for their new surroundings. Paul Stanley's guitar was stolen on his first day in Los Angeles. The working title for the album was The Harder They Come. [5]

Formally, Hotter than Hell is darker than the band's first album. [6] This is partly due to the murkier production values, but also the lyrical content of some of the songs. "Goin' Blind", which details a doomed romance between a 93-year-old and a 16-year-old girl, was a song written by Simmons and Stephen Coronel during their days with Wicked Lester. The original title was "Little Lady", and the song's original second verse lyric, revived by Simmons for their MTV Unplugged appearance, as well as on Alive IV, suggests that the song's narrator is a sea captain addressing a mermaid.

Although the album featured two songs composed and one song co-composed by lead guitarist Ace Frehley, he did not sing on any of them; his lack of confidence in his singing abilities at that time led to Frehley delegating lead vocal duties to other members of the band, with "Parasite" and "Strange Ways" going to Gene Simmons and Peter Criss, respectively. Frehley's guitar solo on "Strange Ways" has been referred to as one of his best. [6]

Hotter than Hell featured many more overdubs than the first album. While Kerner and Wise wanted to produce a record that captured Kiss as a live act, they decided to take advantage of the experience the band had gained as recording artists.

In an interview with Songfacts' Greg Prato in 2013, Richie Wise shouldered the blame for the album's sub-par sonics. "For whatever reason, moving to California, my head wasn't in the right place. It was more of a chore than it was out of love, that album. And my heart and soul didn't get there. I don't remember having any breathing time. It was just too much exhale. It wasn't enough [to] inhale/exhale. Not enough give and take. I was going through a bunch of changes at that time. I moved from New York to California. I'd never moved like that in my life, made a big move. It was just a big time for me, and Hotter than Hell took a back seat. And I apologize for that." [7]

Cover art

The album is well known for its striking cover designed by John Van Hamersveld. The front featured Japanese manga-influenced artwork, and the back cover showed individual band shots taken by Norman Seeff at a wild party and a composite of all four band members' makeup designs.

The photoshoot took place on August 18, 1974 in Los Angeles. [8] The photo session included a wild party with many people, getting drunk for it. [9]

On August 24, 1974, Ace Frehley was involved in a car accident. One day later, another photo session took place with Seeff. Due to Frehley having stitches on the left side of his face, he did the photoshoot with only half of his makeup. [10]

The Japanese character on the bottom of the album cover (力) is chikara, which means "power". It would later be used on various forms of Kiss material during the 1970s and 1980s, most prominently on Eric Carr's drum kit. [5] The Japanese characters on the top-right corner of the album cover (地獄 の さけび) are Jigoku no Sakebi, which means "shout/scream of hell" or "hell's shout/scream". The Japanese katakana characters used for each member had transliteration errors. The characters for Peter Criss are ピータ・クリース ("pita kurīsu") when it should have been ピーター・クリス pītā kurisu. Paul Stanley's last name was incorrectly transliterated as スタンリィ ("sutanryi") when it should have been スタンレー sutanrē. Gene Simmons' first name is incorrectly spelled ジイン ("jiin") when it should have been ジーン jīn, and finally Ace Frehley's first and last name were spelled エイス フューリ ("eisu fyūri") when the characters should have been エース・フレーリー ēsu furērī.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal 8/10 [12]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Pitchfork 5.3/10 [14]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Spin Alternative Record Guide 3/10 [16]
Uncut Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]

Despite the intense touring schedule Kiss maintained in 1974, Hotter than Hell failed to outperform the band's first album and fared considerably worse. This was due partly to the fact that Casablanca's distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records had ended. The publicity push behind the album was not nearly as strong as it had been for the debut album. One notable exception was a television commercial aired to promote the album. The only single released from the album, "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll", was distributed in low numbers and failed to chart. Four months after the album was released, Kiss was pulled off of the tour and called back into the studio to record a follow-up. [6] Hotter than Hell was certified gold on June 23, 1977. [3]

Track listing

All credits adapted from the original release. [18]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Got to Choose" Paul Stanley Stanley3:54
2."Parasite" Ace Frehley Gene Simmons 3:01
3."Goin' Blind"Simmons, Stephen Coronel Simmons3:36
4."Hotter than Hell"StanleyStanley3:31
5."Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll"Simmons, StanleySimmons2:14
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."All the Way"SimmonsSimmons3:18
2."Watchin' You"SimmonsSimmons3:43
3."Mainline"Stanley Peter Criss 3:50
4."Comin' Home"Frehley, StanleyStanley2:37
5."Strange Ways"FrehleyCriss3:18

Personnel

Kiss
Production

Charts

Chart (1974-1976)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [19] 98
Canada Top Albums/CDs ( RPM ) [20] 91
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [21] 46
US Billboard 200 [22] 100

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [3] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiss (band)</span> American hard rock band

Kiss was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s with shock rock–style live performances which featured fire-breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics. The band went through several lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons remaining the only consistent members. The final lineup consisted of them, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ace Frehley</span> American musician (born 1951)

Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician who was the original lead guitarist, occasional lead vocalist and founding member of the rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman and played with the group from its inception in 1973 until his departure in 1982. After leaving Kiss, Frehley formed his own band named Frehley's Comet and released two albums with the group. He subsequently embarked on a solo career, which was put on hold when he rejoined Kiss in 1996 for a highly successful reunion tour.

<i>Destroyer</i> (Kiss album) 1976 studio album by Kiss

Destroyer is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on March 15, 1976, by Casablanca Records in the US. It was the third successive Kiss album to reach the top 40 in the US, as well as the first to chart in Germany and New Zealand. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on April 22, 1976, and platinum on November 11 of the same year, the first Kiss album to achieve platinum. The album marked a departure from the raw sound of the band's first three albums.

<i>Unmasked</i> (Kiss album) 1980 studio album by Kiss

Unmasked is the eighth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on May 20, 1980, by Casablanca Records. It was their first not to feature original drummer and founding member Peter Criss. Despite having no involvement in its production, Criss features in the album's artwork and the video for "Shandi", and also receives credit.

<i>Dressed to Kill</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Kiss

Dressed to Kill is the third studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on March 19, 1975. It was produced by Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart and the band itself as the label's financial situation at the time did not permit the hiring of a professional producer.

<i>Kiss</i> (Kiss album) 1974 studio album by Kiss

Kiss is the debut studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on February 8, 1974, by Casablanca Records. Much of the material on the album was written by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, as members of their pre-Kiss band Wicked Lester. Simmons estimated that the entire process of recording and mixing took three weeks, while co-producer Richie Wise has stated it took just 13 days.

<i>Rock and Roll Over</i> 1976 studio album by Kiss

Rock and Roll Over is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on November 11, 1976, by Casablanca Records. It was recorded at the Star Theatre in Nanuet, New York. The album contains the songs "Hard Luck Woman" and "Calling Dr. Love", which became hit singles in the United States.

<i>Love Gun</i> 1977 studio album by Kiss

Love Gun is the sixth studio album by American hard rock band Kiss, released on June 30, 1977. Casablanca Records and FilmWorks shipped one million copies of the album on this date. It was certified platinum and became the band's first top 5 album on the Billboard 200. The album was remastered in 1997 and again in 2014.

<i>Ace Frehley</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Ace Frehley

Ace Frehley is the first solo album by American guitarist and former Kiss member Ace Frehley, released on September 18, 1978, by Casablanca Records. It was one of four albums released by each separate Kiss member as a solo act, but yet still under the Kiss label, coming out alongside Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, and Gene Simmons.

<i>Peter Criss</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Peter Criss

Peter Criss is the first solo album by Peter Criss, the drummer of American hard rock band Kiss. It was one of four solo albums released by the members of Kiss on September 18, 1978, but yet under the Kiss label, coming out alongside Ace Frehley, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The album was produced by Vini Poncia, who went on to produce Dynasty (1979) and Unmasked (1980) for Kiss.

<i>Paul Stanley</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Paul Stanley

Paul Stanley is the first solo album from American musician Paul Stanley, the singer-songwriter best known for serving as the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of hard rock band Kiss. It was one of four solo albums released by the members of Kiss on September 18, 1978, yet still under the Kiss label, and coming out alongside Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, and Gene Simmons. It is the only release out of the four Kiss solo albums to feature all original songs, as Simmons, Criss and Frehley each recorded one cover song on their albums.

<i>Dynasty</i> (Kiss album) 1979 studio album by Kiss

Dynasty is the seventh studio album by American rock band Kiss, produced by Vini Poncia and released on May 23, 1979, by Casablanca Records.

<i>Music from "The Elder"</i> 1981 studio album by Kiss

Music from "The Elder" is the ninth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released on the Casablanca Records label in 1981. The album marked a substantial departure from their previous output with the concept and orchestral elements. Music from "The Elder" was the first album with the drummer Eric Carr and the last album to feature guitarist Ace Frehley until their 1996 reunion.

<i>Creatures of the Night</i> 1982 studio album by Kiss

Creatures of the Night is the tenth studio album by American rock band Kiss, released in 1982. It was the band's last for Casablanca Records, the only label for which Kiss had recorded up to that point. The album was dedicated to the memory of Casablanca founder and early Kiss supporter Neil Bogart, who had died of cancer during the recording sessions. It is also the band's last album recorded with Ace Frehley credited as an official member and their first album with Vinnie Vincent, as the initially uncredited lead guitarist. Vincent would later be credited but not featured on the cover of the 1985 reissue of the album. It was also Kiss' last album to feature the band with their trademark makeup until the release of Psycho Circus in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth (song)</span> 1976 single by Kiss

"Beth" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their fourth studio album Destroyer (1976). Composed by drummer Peter Criss, his friend Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin, the song was published as a single by Casablanca Records in August 1976, after releasing it as the B-side of "Detroit Rock City". "Beth" is Kiss's biggest commercial hit in the United States, reaching #7 on the Billboard Hot 100, receiving a Gold Record certification from the RIAA, and winning the 1977 People's Choice Award for "Favorite Song".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock and Roll All Nite</span> 1975 single by Kiss

"Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, originally released on their 1975 album Dressed to Kill. It was released as the A-side of their fifth single, with the album track "Getaway". The studio version of the song peaked at No. 68 on the Billboard singles chart, besting the band's previous charting single, "Kissin' Time" (#89). A subsequent live version, released as a single in October 1975, eventually reached No. 12 in early 1976, the first of six Top 20 songs for Kiss in the 1970s. "Rock and Roll All Nite" became Kiss's signature song and has served as the group's closing concert number in almost every concert since 1976. In 2008, it was named the 16th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.

<i>Alive!</i> (Kiss album) 1975 live album by Kiss

Alive! is the fourth album overall, and the first live album, by American hard rock band Kiss, released on September 10, 1975. It is considered to be their breakthrough, and a landmark for live albums. The double-album contains live versions of selected tracks from their first three studio albums, Kiss, Hotter Than Hell and Dressed to Kill. It was recorded at concerts in Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Wildwood, New Jersey; and Davenport, Iowa on May 16, June 21, July 20 and 23, 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nothin' to Lose (Kiss song)</span> 1974 single by Kiss

"Nothin' to Lose" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released on their self-titled debut album in 1974. It is the first single the band had ever released and the first single off the album, with "Love Theme from KISS" as the B-side. Although the song failed to chart, it has remained a concert staple during the 1970s and was featured on many live albums and compilations.

"Parasite" is a song by American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1974 on their second studio album, Hotter Than Hell. The song is one of three songs featured on the album written by lead guitarist Ace Frehley. As one of the album's heaviest songs, "Parasite" was performed on the following tour, but Kiss dropped it from the setlist for the Destroyer Tour and did not play it again until the Revenge Tour in 1992. As Frehley was insecure about his singing ability, he passed that duty to Gene Simmons. In 2016, Frehley re-recorded the track with John 5 for Frehley's solo album Origins Vol. 1.

"Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" is a song by the American hard rock band Kiss, released in 1974. It was released as the only single from their second album Hotter Than Hell. Even though the song failed to chart, it is a staple in their live concerts. The B-side was the album title track, "Hotter Than Hell". Gene Simmons penned the lyrics during a lunch break at his day job, and the song conveys romantic excitement: "'Cause baby's got the feeling/Baby wants a show/Baby won't you tell me/Baby rock & roll, yeah, yeah!". "Let Me Go, Rock 'n' Roll" became a live favorite for Kiss.

References

  1. ↑ Pinfold, Will (September 27, 2022). "Resequence: Kiss: Hotter than Hell". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo (August 2, 2016). "Kiss Albums Ranked". Loudwire. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "American album certifications – Kiss – Hotter than Hell". Recording Industry Association of America.
  4. ↑ "Kiss Charts & Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Hotter Than Hell". KISS Discography 1971–1975. members.shaw.ca/amazingone. Interesting Facts. Archived from the original on February 3, 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Prato, Greg. "Kiss - Hotter Than Hell review". AllMusic . Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  7. ↑ Prato, Greg (May 24, 2013). "Richie Wise (Kiss producer, Dust)". Songfacts . Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  8. ↑ kissonline (August 18, 2020). "#KISSTORY August 18, 1974 - the #KISS Hotter Than Hell album photo shoot with photographer Norman Seeff takes place in Los Angeles". Instagram.
  9. ↑ "Kiss does the infamous "Hotter Than Hell" photo session". KISS Timeline.
  10. ↑ "Kiss does the second "Hotter Than Hell" photo session". KISS Timeline.
  11. ↑ Blender review [ dead link ]
  12. ↑ Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 161. ISBN   978-1894959025.
  13. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. p. 176. ISBN   978-0-857-12595-8.
  14. ↑ Josephes, Jason. "Kiss: Hotter Than Hell". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 19, 2003.
  15. ↑ "Kiss: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  16. ↑ Cohen, Jason (1995). "Kiss". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 212. ISBN   0-679-75574-8.
  17. ↑ Kulkarni, Neil (December 1997). "Made up for it". Uncut . No. 7. p. 100.
  18. ↑ Kiss (1974). Hotter than Hell (LP Sleeve). Los Angeles, California: Casablanca Records. NBLP 7006.
  19. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  20. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3907b". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  21. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN   4-87131-077-9.
  22. ↑ "Kiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.